Final answer:
The Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case suggests that housing units operated by religious organizations and private clubs may have exemptions under federal fair housing law, harmonizing with the interpretations of the RFRA. Corporations can be protected for their religious beliefs if providing certain services creates substantial burdens and there are less restrictive means of accomplishing the government's objectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
Housing units operated by religious organizations and private clubs may have certain exemptions under federal fair housing law as long as they meet specific criteria. However, when it comes to the broader application of federal law in situations where religious beliefs might conflict with legal obligations, the situation can become more complex.
For example, the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Hobby Lobby interpreted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993 as providing protections for the religious liberty of corporations, thus allowing a for-profit company to deny its employees health coverage for contraception based on the religious objections of the company's owners. This decision signifies how closely held for-profit corporations can be exempt from a law that their owners religiously object to, if there is a less restrictive means of achieving the law's goal.
In the realm of housing, while there are exemptions for certain religious and private organizations, claims of discrimination are not automatically deemed unlawful when they conflict with federally-protected classes. Nevertheless, non-profit religious organizations may be more likely to receive such exemptions than for-profit businesses.